"HOLY SHIT," Jewel screamed, standing up in the van.
Rose covered her mouth, the color drained from her face.
The driver looked back in shock, as did the paramedics as Takabi ripped the air mask from his face and touched the hole in his shirt, just over his now beating heart.
He was healed. He was alive.
"I just came back from the dead." The van shook heavily, but he ignored it.
Jewel hugged him tightly, her own tears running down madly. "OH THANK GOD YOU'RE ALIVE!! I COULDN'T LOSE YOU TOO!"
Too. At that moment, he remembered he had Blake's death on his conscience.
"Are you… Are you truly okay," Rose asked him. "That… boy… That evil clone…"
"Not a clone. My Brother, and yeah, I'm fine." He stood up, ripping off the equipment the paramedics had strapped to him. They were so in shock, they remained silent. "Look, I can't explain right now. What happened after I died?"
Rose watched him, her words lost in her throat.
Takabi knelt down in front of her. "I understand this is a lot to take in, never thought I'd say that to you of all people, but time is something we really don't have. I don't know why, but I can feel something isn't right in the air." He sniffed, closing his eyes and broadening his senses. There was a severe surge of magical power coming from around nine miles away, straight ahead. "Kairas, the guy I fought, he took Nana didn't he?" He asked, and Rose nodded.
"That girl who was with you was unconscious, and he just swept her up and left you for dead."
"I think I know where they're at. Don't go ahead anymore. Turn around, and go in the opposite direction." He instructed them. His eyes narrowed suddenly. Two magic signals, rushing right towards them and closing in fast.
The roof of the ambulance began creaking, suddenly tearing off as Kairas and another man, Erodon, looked down at the group. "Sup, Kid!? Kairas was right, you are stubborn!"
Takabi leapt up at the two. Kairas threw his palm forward, a cold mist rushing from his pores. Takabi spun, evading it and spilt kicking the two off the van, allowing it to speed past cars ahead of them as he landed in the middle of the street. Kairas was to his left, and Erodon to his right. The sky above was dark as night had fallen and he could see the formation of storm clouds. "What's going on?"
"We've been busy while you were gone," Erodon began, his voice growing bloodthirsty and twisted with excitement. "My name is Erodon by the way. Nice to meet ya, Snowball."
Takabi looked at Kairas, the two glaring at each other as Kairas stood to his feet. "What? Think this time will be any different?"
"I don't know, Bro," He replied tauntingly. "Maybe it will, maybe it won't. Won't know for sure until we try, right?" Takabi raised his finger and pointed at Kairas. "First, tell me what you did with Nana."
"She's safe for the moment." He said quietly.
Takabi raised an eyebrow. "Why are you siding with these assholes? Come on, we were family."
Kairas looked at him, directly into his eyes, scanning him.
Takabi gave a genuine, warm smile.
"You… You have your memories back, don't you?" He looked at Erodon. "Go back to the warehouse. He's mine to handle."
"Hey, this is a team effort," He said. Erodon's shadow began to dance, before it lurched up attempting to grab him. He flipped back, avoiding it and smiling. "And here comes the Shadow Dragon." Erodon sniffed loudly, licking his lips. "Him and the whore."
Garuga walked next to Takabi with Raia, the pair somehow not making a single sound in their approach. "Hey, handsome. You alright," She said, cracking her knuckles.
"Where's Shink," He asked, ignoring her question.
"Dunno. When your magic disappeared, we searched all over for you. You sure you're okay," Garuga asked and Takabi nodded.
"My memories are back… Yeah, I'm all good."
"Good. I can sense Nana some ways ahead of us, so we're going after her. Stay safe, and don't die again."
"Fuck off," He laughed as the two vanished in a burst of speed.
Erodon spun around fast, growling, "Get back here!" His body flickered and vanished as he gave chase.
Kairas and Takabi eyed each other down, noting the lack of cars on the street. The area they were in was a desolate one, and Takabi couldn't smell any other people nearby. "Guess I can go nuts. Been a while since I fought at my best, so forgive me if I don't kick your ass."
"You really do remember. What jogged your mind?"
Takabi rushed forward, leaping into the air and throwing a flaming punch. Kairas matched his knuckles with ice, the collading magic erupting around the pair as air flew in sharp winds. "I met Mom." They split apart, rushing at one another and throwing fists and kicks.
No words.
Their eyes glowed their respective colors, and matched each other's movements perfectly, like mirror images. It wasn't until Takabi flipped back that he landed a good kick to Kairas' chin, tossing him into the air and slamming into a building. He jumped after, landing in the broken down apartment and looking around.
Dark, but not impossible to see through. Closing his eyes, he focused on Kairas' magic signal, but grit his teeth when he sensed it all around him.
Fire stars appeared between his fingers, and he threw them fast down the hall, curving them into the kitchen and striking something metal. Within the next few seconds, flames ignite in the apartment, an explosion ringing out and disturbing the silence.
Kairas leapt out, fangs bared and tackled his brother, biting deep into his arm. Takabi grit his teeth and ignored the pain, using his left hand to rapidly punch Kairas' ribs. Under the tenth strike, his rib broke and Kairas fell off, blood coating his mouth as Takabi rolled over and clutched his left shoulder. Steam rose from the wound and it healed up in seconds.
Kairas eyed his brother, standing as if his own injuries healed. "It goes both ways, Brother."
He held his left hand out, green electricity flowing at his fingertips. Slamming his palm against the floor, lightning surged through the growing flames. Takabi jumped aside, back hitting the wall as the lightning curved and rushed at him. On instinct, he brought his arms up.
Magic flowed through his body, violet electricity rushed to the surface and canceled Kairas'. He looked at his hands, surprised at what he was able to do, then looked at his twin, running through the fire. When he threw a punch, Kairas did as well, the two striking each other's cheeks with enough force to send them flying back. Takabi slammed through the wall and into the next apartment complex, this one filled with homeless people who looked at him with fear.
Picking himself up, he grit his teeth, spotting the second surge of lightning rushing at him. His eyes widened, showing that the electricity was full of magic strong enough to level the building. He rushed forward on his feet, putting out his hands and summoning a force field of pure magic that stopped the attack.
The explosive force knocked everyone off their feet and into the wall on the opposite side. While some were injured, none of it was fatal.
Kairas appeared through the smoke, arm still raised and eyes still glowing. "Why protect humans? They're below us."
"No one is below us. We're in their world, so we shouldn't look down on them." Takabi said, lowering the field. "I can't keep fighting you if these people are going to be in danger. It isn't right if they get caught in something that doesn't involve them."
"Oh please. Spare me the heroic speech." Kairas craned his head aside, and gave a twisted smile.
Takabi's eyes widened at his twin. What happened to his Brother that made him so cold blooded?
"Did you give into the darkness? These are people, like you and I! They're not lambs for you to carelessly slaughter," He yelled angrily, throwing his arm to the side.
��You're one to talk. Didn't you kill a bunch of people in recent years? All because you lost control?" Kairas lowered his palm, his smile warping into a blank expression. "You're the last person to give me a lecture about how we have to be righteous. WE have the power, not them."
"I made mistakes, but I learned from them. I'm ready for whatever punishment I deserve. That's the gift of humanity." He pointed at his twin. "What about you? What happened to you while I was basically braindead?" He asked, but Kairas didn't answer. Feeling he wasn't going to get one, he exhaled.
"You care for humans that much, huh? More than me? More than Shine?"
"Is that what this is about? I care about everyone! No one deserves to die for how they were born, or who they are! No one is innocent, everyone makes mistakes." Takabi narrowed his eyes. "We're no different from humans, Kairas."
"So what if someone threatens your loved ones. What then?! Wouldn't they deserve to die if they killed me!? Or Nana! What if they killed someone you loved, Takabi! Don't give me that bullshit, because you know none of it is true," He yelled, throwing a blast of magic power forward.
The blast rushed past him, striking two of the homeless in a controlled but severe explosion. Blood splashed along the others, screams of terror and the cries of a young girl filled Takabi's ears. His eyes were wide, shock filling them,
"This is what we're made for. This is the power we have, and we use it to correct the fools that dare cross us. Humans are a mistake that God refuses to correct, along with that man." He bit his lip. "That man is the reason we're on opposite sides now. If he never broke up our family, you'd see things my way! You would see that living with these people means nothing! Our sole existence is to judge those below us! If there's one thing I will take away from him, it's that we're not meant to be with humans!" Kairas' fingers twitched, cackling with lightning. "So the next best thing is to kill them."
Takabi took heavy breaths. His heart rammed rapidly against his ribs, and fingers felt increasingly clammy. "That man?" He paused, eyeing Kairas. "You mean Father? You're seriously blaming your senseless murder on him…" He tightened his fists, flames igniting around him. "You made the choice to kill. No one forced you."
"I said spare me your superhero bullshit, Takabi," Kairas growled.
"Super hero… No… I'm no hero, and I don't think of myself as one… But if you dare, DARE, to threaten people because of your own selfish ideals!" His skin blackened completely, hair lengthening to his lower back and black feather wings shooting out his shirt. "I'LL GLADLY FUCK YOU UP!"
Kairas took a step back in response to Takabi's sudden transformation. While he was surprised, he felt more concern flowing through him. Wait! Did he seriously just unleash that?! For Humans, Kairas thought as he readied himself.
His twin rushed at him, a flaming fist striking his stomach and making the boy cough blood. Takabi cupped his hands and slammed them down on Kairas' back, his veins bulging from the increased force and power soaring through his muscles. They crashed through the burning building, downward until they hit the floor level. Kairas flipped back, rubbing his bloody chin and holding his stomach. "It's that form again. Our true selves."
Takabi's knee struck Kairas in the nose. "Pay attention!"
Kairas swung his arm forward, ice rushing out to strike. Takabi raised his forearm, blocking it effortlessly before countering with a left hook that connected perfectly to Kairas' right cheek. The boy slid back, aiming his index and middle finger ahead and firing a bolt of lightning. Takabi raised his palm, white and violet flames absorbing the surge of electricity.
"I don't know why you're this way, but I promise you I'll fix that fucked up head of yours." He pulled his arm back, flames and electricity surging in harmony around his knuckles. He threw his fist forward, a massive wave of fire and lightning rushing at Kairas.
The boy blocked with his arms, summoning ice to shield him but to no avail. The fire quickly overtook him, blowing apart half of the building and snuffing out the flames upstairs.
When the eruptions died down, Takabi's transformation ended and all of his mana had been drained. He dropped to a knee, Kairas lying on the floor across from him, chest rising and falling slowly. Takabi walked towards his brother, holding his arm and looking down at his twin.
"I hope you can see things my way one day." He picked up Kairas, walking over and lying him against the part of the wall that was still standing. "I love you, Brother. I really do, but your mind is seriously messed up right now." He got to his feet, looking towards the direction of the massive magic.
Sighing, he willed himself to start running. "What was different that time?" He asked himself as he began to rush up buildings and hop from roof to roof. "All that time before, I couldn't control that form, and now all of a sudden I could aim it easy." He touched his chest. "No. Not yet. Maybe it was a fluke." He muttered, deciding to push it from his mind and focus on the task at hand.